OUR AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIAS 215 
among even amateur students of nature. There can be no more 
apt analogy of such careless classification of plants unless it be 
that of the older biologists who called caterpillars and any elongated 
crawling things worms. There has come a time long since that the 
amphibious smartweeds must be distinguished on a totally different 
basis from heretofore, and despite the reiterated asserticns of 
Dr. Greene, that when plants are heteromorphic they need separate 
diagnosis for every phase, we wonder that antediluvian systems 
of distinguishing these plants still maintain. That the manual 
makers should not have known these facts long ago, is beyond 
comprehension, unless as one suspects, they prefer to follow the 
easy path of hidebound ignorance. 
I shall now add a few new descriptions of phases of the am- 
phibious Persicarias which have been discovered since the last 
discussion of these plants. Several new varieties or species are 
added, together with a list of the various hitherto known species 
as I have found them represented in the herbaria to which I have 
had access during the last year. It is hoped that though consid- 
erable space may be taken up, it may be useful to cite the proper. 
specific names of specimens that have been called variously P. 
amphibium, P. Hartwrighti, or P. emersum by the collectors. 
Foremost of these herbaria to which I have had access are the 
U.S. National Herbarium at Washington, where I have spent the 
larger part of two summer vacations mostly studying these plants. 
I have also all too briefly examined those in the New York Botanical 
Garden. Dr. C. C. Deam has kindly sent me his collection for 
examination, and specimens have been sent me also by Dr. J. 
Lunell, and Rev. Z. L. Chandonnet from Minnesota. My own collec- 
tion of these plants extended over a number of years in various 
parts of this country, especially the immediate vicinity of Notre 
Dame, Ind., within seventy miles in various directions, as also 
at Detroit and vicinity, in Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia, Mary- 
land and the District of Columbia and other places. 
Beside the two new phases to be described no notice at any 
length will be made of plants already known. Only diagnoses 
of hitherto unknown phases will be made. I have, as far as I 
have been able, tried to arrange the species in the order of natural 
relationship. Most of the plants of the Midland prarie region 
are included, none from the far West, and fromthe East only 
such are mentioned as are known also from our Region. 
